Braves Couldn't Clinch, Fall in Series Finale to Royals on Sunday
The Atlanta Braves will need a win in the doubleheader on Monday in order to reach the playoffs after losing to the Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon.
The Atlanta Braves couldn’t secure a postseason spot on Sunday as they fell to the Kansas City Royals in the final game of the series 4-2.
Here’s what you need to know about the contest.
The Elephant in the Room
The Atlanta Braves entered play Sunday with the magic number down to one. The team could clinch a playoff spot with a win against the Royals in the series finale OR a loss from the Arizona Diamondbacks against the San Diego Padres.
Unlike the last two days, not everything went in the Braves favor.
Eight scenarios could have happened today, but the final result was the worst one for Atlanta on Sunday. Both the D-Backs and Mets won, while Atlanta lost, meaning the Braves and Mets will now need to play both games on Monday at Truist Park.
Charlie Morton’s Final Braves Start?
The Braves veteran got the start in a chance to clinch a postseason start, and he started a little shaky. Morton allowed three runs in the first inning after allowing three straight hits, including a home run to Michael Massey. He allowed one more homer in the top of the fourth to Hunter Renfroe.
He finished the day with 4.1 IP, 5H, 4ER, 2BB, 3K.
Nothing is official, but that could have been Morton’s final MLB start in his impressive 14-year career - the veteran turns 41 in November and his contract will officially expire after this postseason. It is likely that if the Braves make it to October, he will serve a role out of the bullpen.
Sharp Out of the Pen
After Morton, manager Brian Snitker went to four different relievers out of the bullpen and they were all fantastic. Braves relievers struck out 11 of the last 12 Royals batters they faced. They did everything they could to keep the team in it for a chance to clinch.
Here is how the Braves Bullpen did on Sunday:
Grant Holmes: 1.2 IP, 0H, 0ER. 0BB, 2K (21 pitches, 15 strikes)
Daysbel Hernández: 1.2 IP, 0H, 0ER, 1BB, 5K (25 pitches, 17 strikes)
Dylan Lee: 1 IP, 0H, 0ER, 0BB, 3K (20 pitches, 14 strikes)
Luke Jackson: 0.1 IP, 0H, 0ER, 0BB, 1K (3 pitches, 3 strikes)
Braves Offense
It wasn’t Atlanta's best day at the plate, but there is nothing to be concerned about. This isn’t the same type of offensive woes we saw just a few weeks ago. Atlanta picked up eight hits in the outing and only struck out seven times.
The biggest issue was the team's taking advantage of runners in scoring position. They went 1 for 9 on the day in that category and left nine on base. Most of that was due to not capitalizing at the right time, but some was due to how aggressively they attacked the bases.
(Ed. note: Agree to disagree here. The Braves finished the series going just 1 for 19 with runners in scoring position. Everything’s not okay with the offense, this high hit total notwithstanding.)
Baserunning Blunders
On two occasions early in the game, two baserunners in scoring position were called out on the basepaths. Orlando Arcia was called out trying to steal third base, and Jorge Soler was called out at the plate. Those are two runs that could have crossed the plate for Atlanta, something that would have definitely helped the Braves stay closer in this game.
What’s Next
We play two.
The Braves and Mets will square off in a traditional doubleheader begining at 1 pm EST on Monday. The starter has yet to be announced for tomorrow’s game, but only one win is needed to make the postseason.
There are two options for the Braves on Monday: win or go home. If they do clinch their postseason ticket tomorrow, it will be for a trip to the West Coast to begin a series with the San Diego Padres, which will begin on Tuesday.